The Dark Times: Shadows of a Witch
by Elphaba Tiggular
Summary: [Wicked bookverse] Wicked ended with Elphaba's death, or so we thought. Now she's back and is looking for Liir, with some surprises along the way. R & R, please
1. Chapter 1 & 2

The Dark Times

Shadows of a Witch

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

**Chapter one**

The darkness of the under shadows of the castle became my companion; the mice that hid there became my only source of interaction. I have no account of what became of Chistery and the boy, Liir (who was said to be the son of Fiyero…and whispers of me as the mother). It was all possible still that Liir left and took my pet with him, how would that sensitive and cowardly boy survive on his own? I wondered constantly, but never saw fit to follow through with it. I was thought dead now; I was to be sure that I would start life anew.

It took me many days to convince myself to hide my face and go seek out what I could about what became of the Wizard (or my father…did I care?). For all I cared the old fool may have been dead and I could redeem myself somehow. On second thought, redemption is just talk in an idealist's mind. It was for those who believed in souls and salvation by the "unnamed god," people like Nessa or Papa, but not me. Whatever the case was, I knew that hiding under the floors of the castle was one of the false hopes for the people of Oz, for I was very much alive.

I hid myself in a black robe, with gloves and a scarf covering much of my face. While shuffling through my things that were left in my tower, I found the scarf Fiyero gave me, the black one with the red roses. My heart broke that moment, I had no idea that I still had it in my possession, and I cried like I never did before, holding the precious material to my eyes. Perhaps in death I wouldn't have suffered as I was and I could leave everything behind me, but my mind had rushed to preserve my life, saving me from the certain death. Fiyero was haunting my mind now and I couldn't take it anymore. But yet, I couldn't drop him from my mind. His death was my burden, and I tried making amends with his wife, only to get her and her children killed. Only Nor was still alive, I hoped.

I had made my way through the castle collecting various things I may need for my journey, not finding anyone around for the moment. I packed a small sac of food and an umbrella, and other than those things, I could survive. Rushing to get out of the castle, to avoid the ghosts (if there were such things in existence) of Sarima, her sisters and two sons. In the midst of walking through the castle, I had found Nanny, still much alive sitting by the fire. Fire was the last thing I had wanted to see at this point.

"Nanny," I said approaching the old woman.

She turned her head and gave a yelp of shock, "Elphie? Are you a ghost?"

"No Nanny, it's really me…I never died," I replied softly.

Nanny approached me, lowering my scarf to look at my face. Her wrinkled hands touched my cheek, rubbing over a particularly sore spot. She gave me a massive hug and began to cry, "Elphie, my dear Elphaba, it is you!"

"Yes, yes, don't cry Nanny dear, I have been burned by water more than I care to recall," I said. I let her calm down before asking about Liir and Chistery.

"Liir, took your monkey and went to find Nor," Nanny sniffed. "He's such a brave boy."

"He got that from his father," I stated almost absently.

"So he did!" Nanny exclaimed. "Go on then, find him!"

I gave a slight nod and lifted up my scarf, covering my face to my eyes. I hugged Nanny one last time before, heading towards the door. There were tears in my eyes as I said my farewells to her, I told her she should go to Papa's and stay with him and Shell. Like the stubborn woman she is, Nanny refused my request and shooed me out the door. There was a sad smile upon my face as I turned one last time to the castle. The memories that live there will remain as I walked down the road to the Emerald City. I knew that before any kind of mission to find Liir, or anyone else, I had to come to terms with the beasts within me or shall I say, around me.

**Chapter two**

The air was biting as I walked down the road, finding a caravan of merchants somewhere along the road. They appeared suspicious of a cloaked woman, and why not? I explained them that I was on my way to Saint Glinda's Square, I was returning to the church from an obscure personal mission. They reluctantly agreed to bring me there after much begging. The men stared at me from time-to-time and whispered amongst themselves on the identity of the cloaked woman. I could laugh at their curious gazes and various guesses. Some had speculated that I was a Sister returning from a holy mission, others said that I had to be a living Saint or perhaps, a messenger from the unnamed god. Either of which guess they favoured, and questioned me about I kept to myself and smirked vaguely under my veil.

For the five days and nights that I had traveled with these rowdy men and women, they treated me like a guest, although their activities at night were bothersome and sleep came roughly, for I had given up trying to keep awake. Every night, the group would light a large fire and dance around it, singing noisily and drank a considerable amount. For the first night, they treated me like an honoured guest, singing politely and offering me whatever they could, and after that night, they offered, but they drank heavy and sang with offensive language and told tales that would make a schoolgirl blush.

The group took me as an odd woman, always hiding herself and keeping solitude. I had been asked on many occasions why I hide my face and kept so far apart. At first I didn't know how to respond, but after dodging them once, it was hard to dodge them for a second or third time. I held my head level to the ground when they asked me again and again, eventually I told them that I was on a mission of confinement, where my face was not to be seen until I got back to the Church and I am not particularly fond of boisterous song and tales. Alas, they left me alone, until the last night together with the group. They asked me to join in on their festivities and asked for a song in honour of the unnamed god.

"I do not like singing very much," I had replied.

"Please, just a small one, a hymn or gospel?" one man asked.

I shook my head, "I'd rather not."

"Please?" a few people chorused.

I scowled and reluctantly agreed after they begged me persistently, reminding me of Fiyero and Sarima's children…annoying. I had to search my memory for an old hymn Papa used to have me sing when he carted me around as a tool. Wouldn't Papa be proud of me now? His daughter who never believed in religion, no less the unnamed god that he believed so fondly in. I could have sworn that I felt a familiar presence amongst the crowd of people; I shook it of as apart of my imagination. So, I took a breath and started to sing Papa's favourite hymn. I had sung it so often as a child that I hardly even thought of anything as the words spilled from my lips. I hated the song, not because Papa made me sing it, but because I couldn't relate to the phrases I sang. Therefore, my feelings conveyed through the melody were entirely false, singing how good the unnamed god was and how he loved me, made me strive to think of Fiyero for the emotions needed to sing the words.

I was miserable after finishing the piece, but the throng of people never knew how I truly felt, for they clapped and cheered. Soon after, I turned and went to the carts, sitting behind them, avoiding the group entirely for the rest of the evening. I pushed back the unwanted, threatening tears from my eyes, blinking fast. And I went to sleep, only to dream a dream that would find me with burning tears awaking me.

Fiyero, my dear Fiyero, how I missed him so that he haunted me in my more recent dreams. I had dreamt that he would find me and we would meet daily, almost like we would in that room. The passion mounting, the kisses fierce and the scent of him washing over me, it was intoxicating to say the least, but when I tried to find him on my own in some dingy street, he would walk away uncharacteristically, ignoring me…acting as though he had never seen my face before. And when I cried his name, he turned to me with an angry glint in his eyes then burning tears streaming down my face would awaken me.

That night was the last of the series of dreams on the same topic, for I had been having them for months previously. Always Fiyero, it was always him in my dreams who hated me. To the Fiyero in my dreams I was a tool for his pleasure, not his lover, not his true love. He when he wanted me he sought me out, but when I had wanted him, he turned a cold shoulder. Thus my true fear was loosing his love.

'Even in his death, Fiyero loved me, that is why he went to my house that night,' I thought after I had a few minutes to rationalize my dream.

"Lady, Lady Guest, are you alright?" one of the women asked me.

Once again, my name has been lost; once again, I have another identity. I hated playing this name-game, when would my real name resurface? When would I be Elphaba again? I didn't mind the nicknames like Elphie or Fabala…or even Fae. I hated the "Wicked Witch of the West" (for I was not really wicked or from the west), "Auntie" (for I was no ones Auntie), and "Lady" (for I was no real lady of honour), these names came and went, but still I despised them, for whatever they meant, I hated them all.

But what could I say to these people who had kindly taken me to the Emerald City? So, I merely nodded a response and told the woman to go back to bed, by noon we'd be in the City of Emeralds. I knew that I could seek the answers to the questions that had needed answering. Answers to questions that had haunted me for many years.

To be continued…

A/N: What awaits Elphaba in the Emerald City? What will she find out and whom will she meet? Coming soon when Chapter three is posted.

That sounded cheesy, I know, insanely cheesy. But this was something I have been working on for a while now, Chapter three is finished and ready to go, but it will be posted on its own. Sorry that chapters one and two were so short. I promise that chapter three is longer than both one and two together.

Other than that I hope you liked "The Dark Times: Shadows of a Witch." Geez, that sounded cheesy…well, I hope you enjoyed.


	2. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

Arriving in the city was the easy part; the hard part was absorbing the city in again. But something was changed, the city no longer shined like an Emerald, it was dirty and smoggy. I walked along the streets after bidding my farewells to the merchants. Emerald City didn't look like it would take me so readily; the people stared at me again, someone covering herself from head to toe was really all that odd. However, I ignored them, these people had once thought of me as a wicked woman, but a corrupt leader will place corrupt thoughts in his followers. I knew my destination, the Church of Saint Glinda, the place of Liir's birth, or so it would seem.

Approaching the Church, I looked around slightly, nothing had changed on the outside, and it was still called the Church of Saint Glinda, as it was called for over a decade. I knocked on the door, awaiting a reply. Surely these women would let me in, to them I was a Sister, not a devout one, but still considered one of them for some nonsense reason or another.

A young maunt answered the door. "Yes?" she asked timidly.

"I'm…" I paused, "I'm Sister Saint Aelphaba I'm here to see the Superior Maunt."

She stared at me blankly for a second before showing me in. I kept my head low and my eyes slightly averted as I followed her to a room where she told me to sit and wait. I looked around slightly out of boredom, before the Superior Maunt came in. With a slight grimace I reminded myself that I was here to get information and that would be it, if they asked me to stay, I would kindly put down the request, stating rather simply that I was on a mission to find Liir…and if in fact the boy was my own, it would make it even more urgent to find him.

"My dear sweet Sister Saint Aelphaba, what brings you here?" the Superior Maunt asked in a shocked greeting.

"Mother Maunt," I stated lowering the veil, "I have a problem that only you can solve."

"Of course my dear. Sister Teila, can you excuse us?" she asked the younger maunt.

With the corner of my eye I saw the novice leave us and close a door behind. Now, that the first part of my mission has be resolved, now to ask the question. My mind frantically searched for the way to ask such a question, but better being blunt that beating around the bushes and never getting the answer at all. So I calmed myself slightly.

"Mother Maunt…is…did I ever," I was never getting to my question this way, so I took a deep breath, "Did I ever give birth to a child during my stay?" The Superior Maunt looked at me curiously, so I went on explaining Liir, the boy who followed me like a little lamb for his life thus far, until my supposed death.

"Child, why do you ask this of me?" she question.

"Because if he is my son…I want to make amends…I don't recall giving birth, but I was in a coma state for over a year and no one told me that I had a son. He'd be the son of the man I lost…I miss him so."

The Superior Maunt looked as though this was an unacceptable topic to talk about, but with a heavy sigh she started talking, "When you were taken in, no one had the faintest idea that you were carrying a child…naturally, it was assumed that you were a victim of rape and the child would be unnecessary burden to you. You were hardly even awake when he was delivered and no one knew what to do with you or the child. The child was raised by the sisters, a quiet child, even as a baby."

I turned my head to the side, the news was overwhelming, I had expected it, but I didn't try to look into the thought or idea that I was a mother, I had no maternal feelings for the boy, so I didn't know what else to do. I had to find him, but where to start? I knew he cared for Nor, and I now had to find them both, for me and for Fiyero. And it was times like these when I wished for Fiyero's words to help me through. My son was out there somewhere and now, I felt responsible as his mother to find him.

"I'm sorry, Mother Maunt; I have to go now…" I said softly, "I have to find Liir."

I stood up and made my way to the door, and heard her say to me, "Godspeed Sister Saint Aelphaba, may you find the boy peacefully as he came. May the unnamed god protect you."

Wandering the streets people stared even more now that I removed the scarf. They shrieked and stared, but no one opposed me, but I knew the Witch had died that night the girl with the strange clothing came. I was just Elphaba, and when people would learn that it was beyond me. I was never their so-called Wicked Witch of the West. If silence was death in itself, so I was dead to them. Walking down these streets in the windy cold autumn day with an overcast of clouds, frankly it felt like I was walking into a morgue…it had a deathly feel to it. It was about this time when Fiyero and I were together.

Walking down these streets, I felt as though the cold streets of the city were scorning me for all the things I had done. I remembered Fiyero, his face, his voice, especially his hands and lips. Even after the many long years had changed the city, the shops and the people, the sense of the memories of the town were still the same. I marched along the streets with my head level and eyes misty.

And for some reason my mind had been triggered to remember a night where Fiyero and sat outside, by a large oak tree, watching the stars. I sat on a root that had emerged from the ground, while my love sat on the ground with my hands in his. He lacquered my nails as I stared wonderingly at the stars above. It was a wondrous moment, simple, loving and the mood was enchanting.

"They're beautiful," I murmured, not looking at my love.

Fiyero had laughed, "Fae, you act as though you have never seen the stars before."

"Oh, I've seen them, not admired their beauty…they look even more beautiful tonight," I replied.

"But none as beautiful as you," he stated with some sort of lust driven voice.

I blushed and looked at him and then my nails, "Dearie, why are you painting my nails green? Aren't I green enough for you?"

Fiyero shrugged and continued painting my nails, "When I think of you, I think of green…a soft, beautiful, green." And with that he captured my lips with his.

Somehow I managed to pull myself out of the memory and back into reality. As if I wasn't bad enough that I was a known criminal walking in the daylight in Emerald City, but I was daydreaming of the past as well. Now, I had to wonder how Papa, Shell and perhaps even Glinda took the news of my supposed death. I started to really miss Papa, perhaps he loved me more than I knew…Nessa swore that I had captured his heart when I sang, in all honestly, I believed that Papa loved Nessa more than me, for she was pampered and had gotten everything that she wanted. I guess Papa didn't know what to give me or show how much he cared about me…still to him I was his little Fabala, the odd, green girl who was carted around to sing.

I started to walk faster as the wind started to pick up and I could almost feel the burning of rain on my skin. Even with the umbrella, I knew that I couldn't block the rain, for the wind would push it straight into me, rendering me in pain. So, I had a choice, find a tavern or shop to go in, find a club or a hovel to hide in. The sooner I found something, the better. At this point, I wasn't risking anything…not when I had something important to do.

I pushed my way into a dark tavern on the corner of the street. People didn't notice me walk in, which was good and even if they did, what were they going to do, splash water on me? Okay, not something that I would like to happen, but I'm sure they would be much too afraid to even attempt it. I sat in a dark corner, as not to be noticed, but I kept my eyes and ears open for news of Liir. Instead a voice caught my ear, a very familiar voice that I initially shook it off as wishful thinking. But then I caught sight of diamonds on a hand that was grabbing a cup, blue diamonds. Cautiously, I pushed myself up from the chair and made my way to the man. I sat at the bar to the right of him and smiled knowingly and giddily. I felt like a schoolgirl again.

"May I help you?" the man behind the counter asked looking at a glass he was cleaning.

"Ale, please," I stated then looked over my shoulder slightly catching the eyes of the man sitting next to me. I swore that I was dreaming and that my heart had skipped a beat or two. "Fiyero?" I whispered with tears in my eyes.

He stared at me with the same shocked expression before whispering, "Fae?"

"You're…you're alive! Thank—thank whoever, whatever…thank nothing!" I exclaimed hugging him. I breathed him in, oh how I missed him, "I've missed you…but, we need to talk, Yero my hero. It's serious, and…I…I'm not sure what you've heard."

We took our drinks to the secluded table that I had been sitting at previously, my heart in a wild string of motions; I was both joyous and nervous at once. I solemnly told Fiyero about Liir, Sarima and the children…I left out any detail that would make him hate me. I told him of Nessarose, Madame Morrible, and of the child, Dorothy. He listened with patience and a somber expression. By the end of my tale, Fiyero was holding me whispering soothing words to me.

"Don't worry, Elphie, we'll find them…we'll go together," he said softly.

Fiyero stroked my cheek lovingly and I burst into tears, covering my eyes with my scarf. After all this time, Fiyero was alive and well…and he forgave me, something Sarima never could do. I didn't know what else to do at the moment, except cry, so Fiyero paid for the drinks and we left, hiding underneath one large umbrella, and make way to the club he was staying at.

Sighing I rest my head against the pillow, Fiyero breathing heavily laid down beside me, running his hand through my sweat soaked hair, the other hand was on my waist. We had acted as if this was our first time together and lost ourselves in passion and longing. Sharing a passionate kiss, I crawled into his arms, feeling the warmth of his bare flesh. I looked at him with a worried gaze now that the lovemaking was over for the night.

"Fiyero, we have to find the children," I stated. "Liir, isn't brave enough to take on a fight…he's sensitive and shy."

"Shh…we'll set off to the castle in the morning, but for now sleep. I'm sure that he is braver than you think," my love replied.

"After we find them…we should marry and start a family," I whispered.

"We already have--"

"No…I want another child we can raise together. Liir is no child, he's twelve already and I haven't exactly been the best mother to him." Fiyero looked at me as if I was going insane, "Oh, come my sweet, I can't believe you have that expression on. We can't wait forever! Before you know it Fiyero, I won't be able to carry children and we'll look at what could have been and frown. Do you want that?"

"What does our son look like?" Fiyero asked avoiding my question.

I smiled, "I'll answer your question, if you agree to answer mine." He gave a nod. "Liir looks a lot like my father…his build at least…but I'm hoping it's not true and that he was sneaking food. He has my determination and want of love, but your face."

"You make it sound bad that he looks like your father. I thought he was a good-looking man."

"No, no, Fiyero, he doesn't look like Papa…he looks like my real father…the Wizard," I said the last word with malice and spite.

"What? How?" Fiyero sputtered.

I shrugged slightly in Fiyero's arms, "I think he drugged Mama and raped her…Mama may have been careless, but I don't think she would just sleep with a stranger who came out of nowhere. Still, we'll keep this to ourselves. Now answer my question. Do you want to have children or end up old and look back upon it and feel sorry?"

"Elphie-Fabala-Fae, I love you…but…"

"But?"

"It may be too early to talk about having children."

"That's why we are talking, love. We have to find Liir and Nor first. Now, sleep, my hero. Sleep and we will talk more in the morning."

I snuggled closer to him and closed my eyes. His scent was intoxicating and soothing. Sleep was coming easy this night, easier than most I had experienced for the past twelve years. Now, I was safe and warm in Fiyero's arms, almost as carefree as I would love to. For now, the Witch was dead and Elphaba-Fabala-Fae was very much alive.

To be continued…

A/N: After a disappointing amount of reviews, zero actually, I have decided that if people aren't going to review, I'm not going to post any more chapters. I don't want to be posting something if no one's going to read it.


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